Dems jam GOP with Al Franken vote

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One of Al Franken's first pieces of legislation has given Democrats a line of attack against the GOP.
AP Photo

“Why did Vitter, Burr and DeMint vote to trample on the rights of victims, especially women?” the DSCC asks in a petition accompanying the video.

Vitter, a top DSCC target, was confronted last month at a town hall meeting by a woman who identified herself as a rape victim. He had a terse argument with her about his vote, then cut the conversation short as he exited the facility. A couple of days later, the Louisiana Democratic Party put the woman on the phone with reporters, feeding the story for days as the DSCC continued to circulate the video, which now has more than 165,000 views on YouTube.

Vitter later said that it was “obvious” that Democrats were using the flap to score political points.

Other Republicans agree.

“I think the whole purpose of that amendment in my opinion was to create a vote which they could use to attack Republicans,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who was himself confronted by a liberal blogger with a video camera questioning his vote. “And if you look at it, it was the Obama Defense Department position that we were supporting. And so that to me, really takes a lot of the winds of the sails of the political argument.”

The Pentagon did, in fact, oppose the Franken amendment, saying it could lead to the “debarment” of existing and future defense contractors and arguing that, at the time it enters into contracts, the Department of Defense may not be in the position to know about the specifics of contractors’ arrangements with employees.

In light of the Pentagon’s opposition, it’s possible Franken’s amendment will be stripped or diluted by Democrats on the House-Senate conference committee. Several Senate conferees told POLITICO that it was far from clear whether the language will ultimately survive — which could provide some cover for GOP senators who now find themselves under attack.

Franken says the amendment was inspired by the story of Jamie Leigh Jones, who worked for defense contractor KBR and alleges she was gang raped at the age of 19 when stationed in Iraq — only to find that her contract required that her dispute go through the arbitration process. She’s still fighting her case.

“Asking a victim to enter arbitration with someone who raped her, or with a company that wouldn't protect her, is outrageous,” Franken said on the floor of the Senate when the measure was adopted in early October. “Victims of sexual assault and discrimination at least deserve their day in court.”

Although the amendment has become a cause célèbre for the DSCC, Menendez said that Franken has had nothing to do with it. Franken, himself, knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of similar attacks; he was sharply criticized during his campaign for old comments he made about rape that some believed to be insensitive.

Back home, the Minnesota freshman still seems to be suffering from a campaign against Republican Norm Coleman that ended up in the courts and didn’t end until June; a recent Star Tribune poll found Franken’s approval ratings hovering at 41 percent , with a 36 percent approval rating from independents, 19 percent from Republicans and 70 percent from Democrats. Nearly a third of the state's residents had no opinion of the new senator.

But he’s quickly making friends with his new Democratic colleagues. In September, he headlined a “Steak Fry” fundraiser hosted by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Matt Paul, a Harkin consultant, said the event “exceeded our crowd and total dollar budget” expectations but declined to say by how much.

And just this week, Franken and his wife, Franni, had dinner with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) at the Capitol Hill Thai restaurant Sanphan. Durbin said Franken ordered “everything on the menu” for the three but has done a better job of keeping things in check at work.

“I think he struck the right balance,” Durbin said of Franken’s effort to transition from celebrity to freshman senator. “Al has this great sense of humor, this booming laugh that you can’t miss, but he has really rolled up his sleeves and taken on tough issues.”

To be fair to Franken, he probably thought a bill classifying gang rape as an actual crime and not a civil matter was a no brainer. Who could have guessed so many Republicans would be pro-gang rape? Actually, given GOP policies towards women maybe that was a bit of a trap.

If these useless democrats and black muslim obama would worry about terrorism as much as they worry about republicans we wouldn't be fighting all these wars. Since obama has been in office we have several more wars brewing and now within our own Country. This is the most childish White House politicians this country has ever had!

Anybody who has listened to Al Franken on radio knows all about his commitment to doing right by the troops.

He has doen years and loads of USO work, including multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan which put him in harm's way, to entertain and support our kids, and he has always had nothing but compassion and respect for our boys and girls in service to their country over there and over here.

The fact that Franken doing the right thing here, suporting the rights of people like the poor girl who was raped to demand a day in court and a jury of peers, is going to cost the stupid GOP loads of money, time and trouble is just delicious icing on the cake, baby.

Go, Al, go!! Keep doing what the good people of Minnesota elected and sent you to Washington to do: Look out for the people's interests, not the special interests.

Anybody who has listened to Al Franken on radio knows all about his commitment to doing right by the troops.

He has done years and loads of USO work, including multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan which put him in harm's way, to entertain and support our kids, and he has always had nothing but compassion and respect for our boys and girls in service to their country over there and over here.

The fact that Franken doing the right thing here, suporting the rights of people like the poor girl who was raped to demand a day in court and a jury of peers, is going to cost the stupid GOP loads of money, time and trouble is just delicious icing on the cake, baby.

Go, Al, go!! Keep doing what the good people of Minnesota elected and sent you to Washington to do: Look out for the people's interests, not the special interests.

If this doesn't awaken peoples' tunnel vision about the GOP's disdain for the average American,nothing will. These disgraceful bums should be voted out of office. But,they will come with their usual BS at election time and the dumb asses that vote them in time and again will probably fall for it again.

Franken is a blithering idiot and an embarrassment to our country. Who cares about his legislation. And, knowing the bills that these jerks write, God knows what else was in it, what was opposed, if it was actually written or someone's happy dream to make history.

If this doesn't awaken peoples' tunnel vision about the GOP's disdain for the average American,nothing will. These disgraceful bums should be voted out of office. But,they will come with their usual BS at election time and the dumb asses that vote them in time and again will probably fall for it again.